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Nyy

At C: Gary Sanchez might be a bit overrated offensively, but dude can hit for a catcher and he's underrated defensively. Might be the best catcher in the AL at this point. Player Salary: 10-15mill arb2 or bridge.

1b: Greg Bird. Very talented young hitter, I see bird as an above average player in 2020. Think Brandon Belt. He may need a platoon partner here to hit lefties, but those are easy to find. Player salary: 8-13 Mill arb2 or bridge

2b: Starlin Castro. At this point he should be on the downturn in his career, but to me, Castro is a guy who can still refine his approach and is still improving offensively. Initially a ss, Castro is a good 2b defensively. Amazing he will be 30 in 2020. Player Salary: 16mill team option

Ss: Gleyber Torres. Perhaps the cubs biggest mistake in the process of winning a championship was trading future all star Gleyber Torres. I think Torres makes his full season debut as the Yankees future ss in 2020 after impressing with a cup of coffee in 2019. Player Salary: 500k pre arb.

3b: Manny Machado. I really think it's inevitable that the Yankees get Machado. Baltimore is a trash organization run by an idiot and I've never thought Machado ever cared much for the team. Arod's protege moves to the Yankees and reaches another level as the star of the show. Manny wins the AL mvp in 2020 over trout for some reason (Trout should win it every year lol). Player Salary: 30-35 mill per year.

DH: see sp1.... probably Ellsbury a bit too.

LF: Ellsbury unfortunately still remains on the team. He sucks up 22mill per year as a bench bat while he watches Clint Frazier spend the majority of his time starting in left over him. Frazier struggles to hit at the big league level, but plays a very good left defensively and teases with his potential at times. Player Salary: 22mill (Ellsbury contract)

CF: Aaron Hicks. The amazing 2017 breakout for hicks ends up being completely legit and the Yankees lock him up long term on a cheap contract at the end of the year. Hicks remains underrated in 2020, but is still an elite CF with a good bat. Player Salary 14 mill.

RF: Aaron Judge. 2017 becomes a bit of a fluke season and he has a sophomore slump season in 2018... But in 2019 he cuts his k% from 31 down to 25 and has a monster season hitting 50 bombs. I expect much of the same in 2020. Player Salary: 13-18 mill arb2 or bridge contract.

SP1: Shohei Otani bursts onto the MLB scene in a big way in 2019. The Japanese Babe Ruth cements himself as a top of the rotation player, while also crushing 20 bombs as the Yankees DH on day he isn't pitching. Player Salary: 25-30 mill free agent.

SP2: Micheal Pineda. Signed long term on a reasonable contract, pineda is a decent #2 option for the Yankees despite still being volatile and inconsistent. Player Salary: 18-23 mill free agent

SP3: Luis Severino. Much like Pineda, Severino remains tantalizingly talented, but a mix of pitching at Yankee stadium and in the AL east beast causes him to be fairly inconsistent regardless. Player Salary: 10-15mill arb2 or bridge

SP4: Jordan Montgomery remains in the rotation despite not being too hyped as a prospect. His deceptive delivery, and command of various junky pitches makes him a solid pitcher in the bigs and he develops a plus changeup that keeps him there. In 2020 Jordan will be a sub 4era pitcher. Player Salary: 23mill (tanaka is "injured")

SP5: Justus Sheffield. After a cup of coffee in 2018, sheff will go on to win the 2019 sp5 spot ahead of some bigger prospect names in the Yankees system. He will breakout in 2020 and pass Montgomery despite Montgomery having a very solid season as well. Player salary: 500k pre arb

Closer: Chapman remains, holding down the fort in the 9th. The bullpen isn't quite as strong as it once was with the departure of Betances, but the Yankees have a glut of potential replacement arms in the minors. Player Salary: 18 mill free agent

Mentionables: Yankees unfortunately have to cut ties with betances when he becomes a free agent in the off-season before 2020, but the Yankees remain one of the most elite bullpens in the league with help from existing talent on the roster and a glut of young fireballers in the minors. I see James Kaprielian being an elite setup man. OFer Dustin Fowler will be in the mix for the left field job along with Frazier, and will see a lot of time at each OF spot pending injuries in 2020. Blake Rutherford will still be in the minors at this point and might force his way into the plans with some good seasons, but he should be given all the time in the world to develop. Prospect Jorge Mateo will be used as an infield utility player and pinch runner.

Outlook: The Yankees are all in here and setup to win in 2020 and beyond. They make the playoffs in 2017, but take a step back for 2018 and 2019 with the departure of some valued veteran talent (sabathia, headley, gregorious, gardiner). So 2020 is the year they really turn things around again for real and are title contenders. No very interesting trades happen with the Yankees in the next couple years, but in 2021 when the tanaka and Ellsbury contracts come off the books, the Yankees will have enough money to hold on to every player from the championship contending 2020 team. Yankees win in 2020.